A plan to shake up NCEA has been met with uproar by teachers as the Ministry of Education proposes changes to the curriculum, including dropping several subjects
Latin, classical studies and art History are all on the chopping board, while science subjects such as physics and chemistry could be replaced with a single subject.
While they may be subjects based on trial and error, some science teachers say the Ministry of Education shouldn’t be experimenting with their curriculum.
A proposed plan for NCEA Level 1, could see biology, chemistry, physics and earth and space science absorbed into one generic subject.
The ministry says it will offer students a broader view of the subject, with room to specialise in later years, while the suggestion has sparked outrage amongst science teachers.
Some teachers say the change would be bad for science, potentially slashing the number of future graduates.
Ian Torrie, chair of Secondary Chemistry Teachers of New Zealand, says it could mean students find the gap between Level 1 and Level 2 "too big" because of the change.
“That’s going to make an already difficult jump and transition for students, much more difficult and probably lead to more of them dropping out and fewer trying to go on into sciences.”
Mr Torrie believes students could also find it difficult to transition into tertiary studies as they will not have the background that the education providers would expect from them.
He says universities are also “appalled” at the suggestion from the Ministry of Education and says they are concerned about having to potentially needing to introduce their own entry qualification or extend the length of science degrees.
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